Jan. 19, 2015 was just another day on the job for Keith Terry.He donned his scrubs and headed into SSM Lake St. Louis Hospital to serve his shift as an emergency room tech.But the work performed by the Warrenton native on this day, although typical in nature, would become part of a profound outcome. It would result in a young life saved, new friendships made and, amazingly, a portrayal on the big screen. Terry is one of the local emergency workers depicted in the Christian film, “Breakthrough,” which came out in theaters April 17 to coincide with Easter weekend.“Being in the EMS service, it really was just me doing my job,” said Terry, who is also a Wright City firefighter. “With that being said, it’s more so an honor to be a part of this miracle that has happened than to actually be part of a movie.”When 14-year-old drowning victim John Smith came into the ER that day, the outcome did not look positive. He had been submerged in frigid waters after falling through the ice on Lake St. Louis nearly an hour earlier.“I was really focusing on John and the doctors telling us what we needed to do,” said Terry. “Every time we checked we got no pulse from him.”Terry used his 6-foot-5 frame to relentlessly deliver compressions in a desperate attempt to revive Smith.“I remember telling him, ‘You’re not going to die on me,’ ” said Terry.While it was a tense situation, it wasn’t that out of the ordinary for an ER team.But it was what happened next that turned just another emergency room scene into a story that will be shared across the world.“His mom comes into the room, and I remember her praying — yelling — screaming really loud,” recalled Terry. “Maybe about a minute goes by, and we do another pulse check, and we end up having a pulse.”It was then, Terry says, that his ER team decided it best to rush Smith to a pediatric unit that could handle the next level of care. He was flown to Cardinal Glennon, and the routine returned to somewhat normal for Terry and his colleagues.“It wasn’t talked about much that day,” said Terry. “Over the following days my co-workers and I were talking to witnesses about what they saw of it.”After his stay at Cardinal Glennon, Smith made a full recovery. And Terry made a friend.“I’ve actually been in touch with John since he came back to the hospital after he walked out of Cardinal Glennon,” said Terry. “His mom brought him by our hospital days after to meet the hospital staff who worked on him.”And with that, Terry thought the shift was behind him.But in 2017 he was notified that his name and likeness would be used in a book detailing the miraculous story of Smith’s survival that day.“I thought that was pretty cool but still didn’t think much of it,” said Terry.Again, that was just another chapter of a book that would find its way onto the big screen. Director Devon Franklin decided to turn the story into a movie and won the support of multiple celebrities, including NBA star Stephen Curry.“It turns out they wanted to take it to another level and tell the whole world about this story,” said Terry. “When I heard they were going to make a movie, I thought that was pretty amazing.”The film made its debut this week in theaters across America, and Terry will join family and friends on Friday evening for a private viewing.“I didn’t really have a preference on who played me,” said Terry. “I would have been fine with Dwayne Johnson.”While you will not find “The Rock” portraying Terry’s likeness, he instead is played by actor Scott Johnson.While he now spends most of his time fighting fires, Terry occasionally still works shifts in the ER.And to think, it all started as just another day on the job.“With the family being such big believers in Christ, it was really their faith that moved this entire thing,” said Terry.

Wright City Firefighter Keith Terry is being portrayed in the movie, “Breakthrough,” coming out in theaters on April 17. Terry, a native of Warrenton, took part in the real-life story of the survival of a young drowning victim while working a shift as a tech in the emergency room at SSM Lake St. Louis Hospital in 2015. The story was first shared through a book and since turned into a movie directed by Devon Franklin and promoted by NBA star Stephen Curry.

Record photo/Derrick Forsythe

Warrenton native Keith Terry, right, is pictured with John Smith, during the Proclamation Day held for the movie “Breakthrough” in Lake St. Louis during March. Terry is portrayed in the movie for his role in the emergency room on the day Smith arrived as an unresponsive drowning victim. Terry delivered compressions as his team tried to revive Smith, who did not have a pulse. The film shares the story of Smith’s miraculous survival.

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